FAITH and REASON

What is Faith?

The Lexham Bible Dictionary defines it as, “Reliance upon and trust in God; a central emphasis of Christianity.” 

The definition also states that we experience three different types of faith:

Covenantal Faith, which exists explicitly in the Old Testament.

Epistemological Faith: Which should not be called blind faith, but more like a capacity for a kind of spiritual perception that allows them to interpret the world in a Godly way.”  

Finally, Eschatological Faith: ‘Is the part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and humankind.”. 

Over the past hundred years, some philosophers and theologians have changed the way they define faith. These new definitions often don’t fully explain the deeper meaning of faith found in the Bible. In the Bible, faith involves the whole person, the physical world, God’s Word, and God Himself. Many of these newer ideas miss both the outward (objective) and inward (subjective) parts of what biblical faith is.

In the Bible, faith means trusting God when He shows Himself to us through what He says and does. God is the one who starts the relationship between Himself and people. He wants us to trust Him. The first sin happened when Adam and Eve didn’t trust God in the Garden of Eden.

To understand this better, think of it like this: God reaches out to us, telling us about Himself and showing us who He is. Our job is to believe Him and trust what He says. This trust, or faith, is how we respond to God. It’s like when a friend tells you something important – you show you care by believing them and acting on what they said.

Faith in the Bible is about having a strong belief in God and His promises, even when we can’t see everything clearly. It’s trusting that what God says is true and living our lives based on that trust

Christianity is more than a series of beliefs and practices; it is a relationship with the God of the universe, whose love was so great that He shed His own blood so that people who earned His wrath and condemnation could be forgiven of their wickedness in full. Seeking God is something that all people do throughout their life, but there is only one true way to Him, through Jesus Christ.

What is Reason?

What is the definition of reason for the purposes of this discussion:

Reason is the ability that helps people think, figure things out, and see how ideas are connected. It allows us to make good decisions and draw conclusions based on what we know. Reason can be understood in two ways: a narrow sense and a broad sense.

In the narrow sense, reason is different from things like memory or feelings. It’s the ability to figure out things by thinking carefully, without needing to rely on past experiences or what we’ve seen or felt. This kind of reasoning is called “a priori,” which means learning something just by thinking about it.

In the broader sense, reason includes all the abilities that help us understand and learn, such as memory and our senses. This means reason isn’t just about thinking deeply—it also involves using what we’ve seen, heard, or remembered to gain knowledge. Reason is the ability humans have to think about ideas and communicate through language. This is what makes people different from animals. It also allows humans to connect with God by understanding His word.

Reason, or our ability to think and understand, is very important for humans. Our ability to think, talk, and be aware of ourselves – which all come from reason – are important parts of being made in God’s image. Reason makes us different from other animals and plants. Without it, we couldn’t do the job God gave us to take care of the Earth and all the creatures on it. Reason is what lets us talk to each other and to God. It helps us build relationships and understand each other. Without reason, we couldn’t communicate or have close connections with other people or with God.

Our ability to think and reason is super important, it’s what makes us unique as humans and helps us fulfill our purpose in the world.